three from Shitennoji

11Jan10

I’ve written about Shitennoji temple before, but these three photographs form such a nice set on their own that I decided to add a separate post. Osaka’s Shitennoji, founded in 593 CE by the ubiquitous Prince Shotoku, is the oldest state-sanctioned Buddhist temple in Japan. Shitennoji is dedicated to the Four Heavenly Kings — the guardians of the four compass directions — who Prince Shotoku implored for help before a major battle from which he emerged victorious. Near the torii entrance gate is a stone post that’s carved with the words “Buddhism arrived here for the first time in Japan.”

All photographs were taken using a Holga 120CFN loaded with Kodak TMY400.